The Roots of the Orchid
Tear Glands, Tear Ducts, Tear Drops
2019, Ink, pencil and watercolour on paper, each 111.2 x 78.9 cm
Michael Whittle
Tear Glands, Tear Ducts, Tear Drops
2019, Ink, pencil and watercolour on paper, each 111.2 x 78.9 cm
Michael Whittle
The roots of the orchid (Phylogenetic map of orchid species)
2019, Ink, pencil and watercolour on paper, 111.2 x 78.9 cm Michael Whittle (Diagrams courtesy of Guo-Qiang Zhang et.al., 2017) |
Tear Glands, Tear Ducts, Tear Drops
(Lacrimal gland and ducts with Lithospheric anomalies) 2019, Ink, pencil and watercolour on paper, 111.2 x 78.9 cm Michael Whittle (Diagrams courtesy of Jung-Hun Song et.al., 2018) |
About the Artworks:
This pair of drawings was created whilst in 2019 whilst the artist was on a residency program on Jeju Island, South Korea, at the museum dedicated to the iconic scholar-artist Chusa Kim Jeong-hui. While in political exile on Jeju, Chusa famously painted orchids—a traditional symbol of resilience and nobility. One drawing, The roots of the orchid, takes this subject and maps its vast evolutionary history, using a phylogenetic diagram to trace the species back 200 million years to its ‘Most Recent Common Ancestor’ at the dawn of the dinosaurs.
The companion piece, Tear Glands, Tear Ducts, Tear Drops, explores the island’s geology. Seen from above, Jeju resembles an enormous eye, which the work renders as an anatomical diagram. Below the surface, it visualizes the colossal ‘magma plumbing system’ recently discovered by seismologists, with the central Hallasan volcano depicted as the splash of a teardrop revealing the vast structures hidden beneath the earth.
This pair of drawings was created whilst in 2019 whilst the artist was on a residency program on Jeju Island, South Korea, at the museum dedicated to the iconic scholar-artist Chusa Kim Jeong-hui. While in political exile on Jeju, Chusa famously painted orchids—a traditional symbol of resilience and nobility. One drawing, The roots of the orchid, takes this subject and maps its vast evolutionary history, using a phylogenetic diagram to trace the species back 200 million years to its ‘Most Recent Common Ancestor’ at the dawn of the dinosaurs.
The companion piece, Tear Glands, Tear Ducts, Tear Drops, explores the island’s geology. Seen from above, Jeju resembles an enormous eye, which the work renders as an anatomical diagram. Below the surface, it visualizes the colossal ‘magma plumbing system’ recently discovered by seismologists, with the central Hallasan volcano depicted as the splash of a teardrop revealing the vast structures hidden beneath the earth.
Michael WHITTLE
Michael Whittle is an artist and researcher specializing in Diagrammatology, the study of diagrams. He previously qualification and training as a Biomedical Scientist, before changing subject to study fine art. His artistic practice incorporates images, ideas, and data from science, as well as dialogues with scientists about their research interests and motivations. Recent projects include ‘Butterfly on the Sun’, a large-scale installation for the 2022 Changwon Sculpture Biennale developed in consultation with astrophysicist David Hathaway of NASA’s Ames Research Center. In 2023, Whittle co-founded ‘Pollen’ with artist-technologist Atticus Sims, an AI-powered creative studio in Kyoto, Japan. He is currently Associate Professor of Contemporary Art in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Macau.
Michael Whittle is an artist and researcher specializing in Diagrammatology, the study of diagrams. He previously qualification and training as a Biomedical Scientist, before changing subject to study fine art. His artistic practice incorporates images, ideas, and data from science, as well as dialogues with scientists about their research interests and motivations. Recent projects include ‘Butterfly on the Sun’, a large-scale installation for the 2022 Changwon Sculpture Biennale developed in consultation with astrophysicist David Hathaway of NASA’s Ames Research Center. In 2023, Whittle co-founded ‘Pollen’ with artist-technologist Atticus Sims, an AI-powered creative studio in Kyoto, Japan. He is currently Associate Professor of Contemporary Art in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Macau.
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